


There Is No Later for Us

by fabaulti



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Kissing, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 18:12:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19408660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabaulti/pseuds/fabaulti
Summary: After retrieving the Aether from Asgard, Thor pays a visit to his brother.





	There Is No Later for Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dreamkist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamkist/gifts).



_Later_ , Thor used to say.

Whenever something was deemed unworthy of his attention he would postpone it for later. As the crown prince of Asgard and the most beloved man in the realm, he had the luxury to do so.

For young Thor later was never an uncertainty as he had yet to understand that sometimes, there was no such thing. It was a lesson he has learned through suffering.

Now, standing in front of his brother’s cell, he is hit by an uncertain familiarity that makes him uneasy. It’s perhaps the first time since his arrival that he truly realizes he’s been walking through a palace long since destroyed, meeting people whose lifeless bodies are now either dust or floating through the deep void of space.

He can’t help but once again wish for more time. To put his thoughts in order, to gather himself enough to be able to face Loki without breaking down... he doesn't know what for. It all eventually leads to him running away, just as he did for the past five years. He’s no longer the mighty prince of Asgard. He cannot get away with everything and there is no such thing as later for him.

With nothing left to do other than take a deep breath and try to quiet his raging thoughts, Thor approaches Loki's cell. Behind the glass of his confinement lays his brother in an almost unreal haze. Loki is on his bed, facing away from the rest of the facility, peacefully sleeping.

Thor gently places his palm over the barrier, ignoring the faint tingle the energy sends through his fingers. Loki in return makes no movement, still unaware of the not so unfamiliar presence that gazes upon him.

This is yet a chance to leave, but the prospect of never being to hear Loki’s voice again is just as scary to Thor as facing him.

"Loki," he manages to say, faint and hoarse, voice as weak as he feels.

There still seems to be no reaction, not even a tiny acknowledgement from behind the barrier, and Thor is ready to take it as a sign from the Norns, a warning that he should leave and stop lingering on the past.

Before he can make the decision, Loki is slightly turning his head towards the source of the sound. His sleep filled mind hardly processes what’s happening in front of him, but when he does, his movements are swift and as wide awake as they can get. In an instant he is up, carefully approaching the barrier without actually getting too close, just like a feline carefully inspecting its prey before deciding what to do with it.

Loki's reaction is both strange and endearing, Thor thinks, allowing himself to carefully observe the faintest movement present in his brother's expression. Shocked is perhaps too harsh of a word and one that does not fit Loki demeanor at all. Perhaps intrigued is more fitting.

Thor himself takes the time to look at his brother. He is different from the Loki Thanos took from him while being the same person. His cheekbones are more protruding than the remembers and his eyes hollower, all clear signs of something his past self refused to see.

"Thor?" Loki finally asks.

Thor nods.

"You're not..."

Whatever Loki meant to say is swallowed by the tension between them. It is as if every minute spent in silence is trying to tell Thor how grave a mistake coming here was, but he does not listen.

"May I come in?"

Loki takes a cautious step back, quietly approving. Thor might not be the same man he was at this time, but he is still very much himself. He can still wield Mjolnir and enter secret passages few other Asgardians know of. He can still get through any of the energy fields in the Asgardian prison just as he walks through thin air.

"You’re from the future,” Loki says.

It’s hardly a question, but it still holds an ounce of uncertainty so Thor nods once again.

“Should I rejoice, seeing how the future treated the mighty Thor, or should I be concerned?”

“Oh brother,” Thor smiles, “How I missed your quips!”

Loki doesn't seem to find it amusing. He keps his mouth shut in a straight line and his brows slightly raised.

"I've come to apologize."

Loki remains silent for a moment more, taken aback by the sudden confession.

"Are you apologizing for something that you did or something that is going to happen?"

"Both."

He is offered a smile, but it's not quite like any of the mocking smiles Loki reserved for Thor. It's bittersweet, as if he doesn't know how else he could react.

"Did he..." The pause is nerve wracking, especially since Thor knows what he is being asked. "Thanos, did he...?"

It all comes back to him — all that has been buried deep inside his mind: the battle of New York, Thanos' army, the Mind Stone... it all comes back to him and the worst of it all is his brother's imprisonment, the torture he went through under the Mad Titan. It shames both him and his brother, but what other choice does he have?

Admitting his mistakes and defeat means that he had failed Loki, the Asgardian people and himself. He has been living in utter miserable failure for the past years, unwilling to accept it. But now, there is no later. Now all his actions have consequences. He must admit that. If not to himself, his brother deserves it.

"I'm sorry."

Loki, surprisingly enough, understands. He offers a sympathetic, pained smile, but says nothing else.

"I failed, Loki. I was careless, selfish and I didn't..."

Loki manages to laugh. It's far from the sincere laugh Thor used to hear from him during their boyhood, but it comes off as a oddly comforting gesture.

"The future truly changed you, brother. I wonder what has happened for you to undergo such a transformation. Was it pain? Torture? Disappointment? Betrayal perhaps?"

Long ago he would have resented Loki's harsh words, but now he cannot find fault in them. He was always right, in his own twisted way, but Thor had always been too self absorbed to see his brother's sorrow.

"I have wronged you," is his only response, and the strange display of vulnerability takes Loki by surprise.

"You have, but so did I. I don't know what will happen to us Thor, but whatever it is, I want you to know that it's not your fault. There is only one person at fault for what happened an will happen to us and his name is Thanos. Now you're here, and I know you haven't come here to greet me. You're here to fix it, and that's more than anyone else can do."

The Loki he has in front of him, still affected by the fresh wound Thanos' imprisonment is still his brother. His dear, articulate, too intelligent for his own good brother, whom he loves more than anything.

"Thank you, Loki. I promise, I will do anything in my power to fix this."

The bittersweet smile makes room on Loki's face yet again, and he squeezes Thor's calloused hand in an act that is meant to be comforting. It's all the forgiveness Thor had ever needed, but knows he no longer deserves.

"Tell me something,” Loki, says cautiously. "Did I die?"

It’s unwise to cry in front of Loki, even in such circumstances. so Thor does his best to keep his emotions at bay. It’s not an easy admission, not when he knows he is indirectly at fault for his brother’s death. It comes out as hoarse and pained words, barely wanting to leave his throat.

"You did."

Loki does not even blink. He already knew the answer to the question, Thor realizes.

"Did Thanos kill me?"

"I'm sorry, Loki, I—"

"I figured out it was going to happen."

Thor doesn't dare to close his eyes, no matter how harsh the pain is. He instead takes in all he can see and feel and hear, for he knows it's perhaps the last time he will see his brother alive.

It comes to him, at least. A shell of an idea. If it can save Loki, he's going to take it.

"You can change it," he exclaims, perhaps a little bit too enthusiastically.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can change the future. Now you know..."

Loki laughs as if he just heard the most peculiar thing.

"Isn't that the sole thing you mustn't do when traveling through time?"

"I don't understand it very well myself, but I know you can. You changing this timeline won't affect the future I come from."

"You're making no sense whatsoever."

"Just trust me. If I tell you what to do I’m sure you can change the outcome…”

Loki interrupts him.

“Assuming I do not rot in this wonderful Asgardian cell.”

Thor ignores the display of sarcasm and looks deep into his brother's eyes. If his words won't reach Loki maybe his gaze will.

"Talk to me."

Loki waits for the rest of whatever his brother meant to say, but it never comes. When he realizes that is all he is going to get, he blinks in disbelief.

"Talk to you? About what?"

"About Thanos. About what has happened before New York. Tell me all of it and we can fix it. We can kill Thanos before he gathers all the stones. We can…"

"You seem to have so much faith in your past self. Must I remind you of all the foolish things you have done? What makes you believe you will even listen? I don't know what has happened to you but the Thor I know is nothing like you. He does not care about anything other than himself!"

It’s not a lie. The Thor that Loki knows has yet to understand the importance of being a good man over fulfilling his royal duties. He is, as Loki puts it, foolish and self-absorbed, but there is one thing that Loki is unaware of.

"We both know that's a lie," Thor says calmly. "I was selfish, aye, and I still am, but there was someone I love more dearly than even myself, and you know that."

"I hardly see how Jane Foster might—"

Out of all the times Loki choses to play dumb, this is hardly a suitable situation.

"I'm talking about you, trickster."

Whatever Loki was meaning to say gets stuck in his throat as a new realization hits him.

Thor is aware that his words have struck deep enough inside his brother, but he continues nevertheless.

"I loved you for as long as I knew what love meant and I know for a fact that you love me as well."

Loki finds the courage to ask:

"I presume you’re not talking about brotherly love."

"You know I'm not."

"Did we… in the future?"

Thor nods, amused by the sudden shyness his brother displays. Perhaps it’s just a ruse, perhaps it’s genuine. Thor can’t tell.

"Oh… _oh_." is all Loki can say.

"It took me far too long to understand the threat that was upon us, and when I did it was too late. If you had told me, brother, I would have listened."

Loki seems to think about it and Thor is sure he will come to a satisfactory conclusion. He had learned to trust his brother and he will do, even now. Even if this Loki is not the same he grew to trust. There’s little else he can do now.

"I should leave. Thank you, Loki. For listening to me."

"Thor, I don't think I can—"

His action is spontaneous and far from anything Thor had planned when thinking about visiting Loki. Above everything else, it's so very foolish, but he does it either way. _There is no later_ , repeats into his mind like a mantra as he places his hands on both Loki's cheeks and kisses him. It's nothing but a small peck on his lips, but it takes Loki's entire breath away so much that Thor has to remind him to inhale.

"I'm sorry," he says, but they both know it's not true. Thor is grinning.

"Your breath smells."

"Deal with it."

It is Thor's turn to be surprised as Loki initiates another kiss. He places his arms around Thor’s neck and pulls him closer until the space between them diminishes into almost nothingness. This time it’s deeper, wetter, more desperate.

"You're saying I can have this? From my Thor?" he asks when catching their breaths becomes a necessity.

"Yes," Thor moans against Loki's lips.

All of Loki’s uncertainty and distrust seems to have been melted away by a single kiss.

"You're entrusting me with this valuable information well aware of how I will use it?"

"I deserve everything coming in my way, brother," Thor laughs.

They both do.

"I have to go back and undo Thanos' snap now."

Loki nods, letting go of Thor.

"Is that how you call it? Thanos' snap? I shouldn't be surprised, considering that the only person with aesthetic sense around you has died, should I?"

"If the name offends you that much, brother, you know what to do to prevent the whole thing," Thor warns him with a goofy smile.


End file.
